Amusement ride system

ABSTRACT

An amusement ride system for conveying passengers past a display and including a support track having inclining and declining portions. A plurality of seats are supported on trucks that are conveyed along the track and such seats swivel to face the display as the trucks pass thereby and tilt relative to the inclining and declining portions of the track to maintain the passengers seated erect. Contoured first and second orienting rails extend longitudinally of the support track and guide first and second followers which control the swiveling and tilting, respectively, of the seat. The amusement ride system may also include a safety bar for retaining passengers in the seat and actuated by a trip which strikes an actuating rail in the unloading area.

United States Patent 858,624 1,301,476 4/1919 Michael Inventors Appl.No. Filed Patented Assignee AMUSEMENT RIDE SYSTEM 12 Claims, 14 DrawingFigs.

US. Cl. 104/75 Int. Cl A63g 7/00 Field 01' Search 104/83, 53,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 7/1907 Reckweg 104/76 PrimaryExaminer-Arthur L. La Point Assistant Etaminer-Richard A. BertschA!t0rne \'-Fulwider, Patton, Rieber, Lee & Utecht ABSTRACT: An amusementride system for conveying passengers past a display and including asupport track having inclining and declining portions. A plurality ofseats are supported on trucks that are conveyed along the track and suchseats swivel to face the display as the trucks pass thereby and tiltrelative to the inclining and declining portions of the track tomaintain the passengers seated erect. Contoured first and secondorienting rails extend longitudinally of the support track and guidefirst and second followers which control the swiveling and tilting,respectively, of the seat. The amusement ride system may also include asafety bar for retaining passengers in the seat and actuated by a tripwhich strikes an actuating rail in the unloading area.

1 AMUSEMENT RIDE SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1 Field of theInvention The present invention relates to an amusement ride system forautomatically orienting a seat to face a display as it is passed therebyand for tilting such seat relative to inclining and declining portionsof a supporttrack. The system also includes a safety bar thatautomatically opens for loading and unloading passengers.

2. Description Of The Prior Art U.S. Pat. No. 620,415 relates to railwaysystems which control the orientation of seats but there is, no systemknown to applicant which swivels the seats to facea display and alsoported on posts or shafts 25 and are tilted backwardly thereon as theydescend down the declining track portion 26 and are tilted forwardly asthey ascent the inclining track portion 27 to thereby maintainpassengers seated therein erect. Referring to FIG. 2, the seats S alsoswivel on the posts 25 and are turned sideways to face a display D asthey are passed thereby and maintains such seats erect as such seats areconveyed over inclining or declining portions of a support'track.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A The amusement ride system of presentinventionis characterized by a seat that swivels and also tilts forwardly andrearwardly. A pair of orienting rails extend longitudinally of thesupporting track and are followed bya pair of followers coupled with theseat. One follower swivels the seat to face displays adjacent the trackas it is passed thereby and the other controls the forwardly andrearwardly tilt of the seat as such seat is conveyed over inclining anddeclining portions of the support track thereby maintaining such seatlevel.

The system may also include a. safety bar for normally restrictingegress from the seat and which is actuated by a follower which strikes arail in the passenger loading area to open the safety bar for loadingand unloading.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent fromconsideration of the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a partial side view of anamusement ride system embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial top view of the amusement ride system shown in FIG.1; 3 i

FIG. 3 is a partially broken away side view, in enlarged scale, of theamusement ride system shown in FIG. 1; I

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional-view, partially broken away, taken alongthe lines 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view,'inf enlarged scale, taken along thelines 5-5 of F 10.3;

FIG. 6 is a horizontal sectional viewtaken' along the lines 6-6 of FIG.4; d

FIG. 7 is a partial horizontal view, in enlarged scale, taken along thelines 7-7 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a partial horizontal sectional view, in enlarged scale, takenfrom the circle designated 6 in FIG. 7; FIG. 9 is a partial side view,in enlarged scale, of the conveyance system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a partial vertical sectional view, in enlarged scale, takenalong the lines 10-10 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 11 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the linesl1-11ofFIG.10; j FIG. 12 is a vertical sectional'view taken along thelines 12-12ofFIG.11; v

FIG. 13 is a-vertical sectional view taken along the lines 13-13 ofFlG.11; and

FIG. 14 is a partially broken away perspective view, in decreased scale,of the orienting mechanism included in the conveyance system shown inFIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT E Referring to FIG. 1, theamusement ride system of present invention includes a plurality ofcoupled together seats S mounted on trucks T which are conveyed over apair of tubular spaced-apart support tracks 21 and 23. The seats S aresupthen turn to face forwardly again.

Referring to FIG. 14, the support post 25 is hollow and supports auniversal joint 29 at its upper extremity, the seat 5 being mountedthereon. A swivel shaft 30 extends telescopically up through the hollowsupport shaft 25 and includes a universal joint 32 disposed within thejoint 29. the upper portion of the shaft 30 projecting from the port 25to mount the seat S. A follower inthe form of a wheel assembly,generally designated 31, is coupled with the swivel shaft 30 and ridesalong a swivel orientation rail 33' which is contoured relative to thesupport tracks 21 and 23 to control orientation of the seat S as it isconveyed along such tracks. The upper portion of the universal joint 29is coupled with a follower, in the form of a wheel assembly generallydesignated 39. that tracks along a contoured pitch control rail 41 tomanipulate the upper por tion of such universal joint and pivot theswivel shaft 30 about its universal joint 32 thereby controlling thepitch of the seat 5 as the seat is conveyed along the tracks 21 and 23.A safety bar B is pivotally attached to the lower forward portion of theseat S and is normally disposed in the passenger retaining positionshown in solid lines in FIG. 9 and is actuated to the passsenger releaseposition shown in broken lines in FIGv 9 by a follower in the form of awheel 49 which contacts an actuating rail 53 disposed in the unloadingarea.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 6, the truck T includes a frame 55 which issuspended from a pair of oppositely disposed support wheels 57 and 59that roll on the support-tracks 21 and 23 respectively. Two pairs ofguide wheels 61 and 63 are suspended from the frame 55 for contactingthe inner surfaces of the support tracks 21 and 23 to guide the truck Ttherealong.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 14, a pinion, generally designated 75, in'theform of upper and lower flanges-circularly arranged posts 81, isattached to the lower end of the. swivel shaft 30. The universal joint32 is aligned with the support shaft universal joint 29 and the shaftsection 87 projecting upwardly from the joint 43 mounts a mounting plate89 for receiving the frame of the seat S. An opening (not shown) isformed in the wall of a fitting 95 (FIG. 4) which couples the supportshaft 25 to the truck T, for receiving a pie-shaped gear portion 97 forcontrolling the rotation of the swivel shaft 30. The teeth of the gearportion 97 are lined with nylon 98 to reduce wear of the posts 81. I I

With continued reference to FIG. 14. a pivot 'shaft 101 is pivotallymounted on its lower end to the truck frame 55 and projects up throughthe gear portion 47, is keyed thereto. and

fixedly mounts the wheel assembly 31 on its, upper extremity. The wheelassembly 31 includes an upwardly opening U- shaped bracket, theextremities of which mount a pair of wheels 109 and 111. The wheels 109and 111 are. spaced apart for receiving the vertical portion of theT-shaped rail 33.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a lever arm 115 projects from the upperportion of the universal joint 29 and a connecting link 117 is pivotallyattached thereto. As best seen in FIG. 14, the lower extremity of theconnecting link 11.7 connects. with one arm 119 of a crank, generallydesignated 121. Theother arm 123 of the crank 121 is pivotally connectedwith a push rod 125 that is affixed to one end ofa rocker arm 127 whichis pivotally mounted on the truck T by means of a pivot pin 129. Theother extremity of the rocker am 127 is connected with an upwardlyopening U-shaped bracket which mounts a'pair of wheels 133 and 135 onits opposite extremities, suchavheels being spaced-apart for receivingthe vertical portion of the T shaped pitch orientation rail 41.

The safety bar B is in the form of an inverted U anditslower extremities141 are bent inwardly to form axially alignedconnecting portions whichare journaled in mounting brackets (not shown. Referring to FIGS. 10through 13, a lock frame, generally designated 145, is affixed on itsrear end to the frame of the seat S by means of a mounting bolt 147. Thefront extremity of the frame 145 forms a fork having forwardlyprojecting prongs 149 and 151. The connecting portions 141 of the bar Bare journaled through the legs 149 and 151.

A latching bracket, generally designated 155, is mounted between theprongs 149 and 151 and is keyed to the connecting portion 141 of thesafety bar B. The latching bracket 155 includes three spaced-apartrearwardly projecting prongs 159, 161 and 163. With continued referenceto FIGS. 12 and 13. a pair of rollers 165 and 167 are mounted betweenthe respective prongs 159 and 161 and prongs 161 and 163 by means of amounting shaft 169.

Referring to FIG. 12, a safety lock in the form of a cam 171 is mountedon the inner wall of the lock frame 145 by means of a pivot pin 173 andincludes a forwardly projecting cam surface l75 that normally projectsforwardly above the roller 165 to limit upward movement thereof andprevent forward movement of the upper portion of the safety bar B. Theupper end of the cam 171 defines an abutting surface 176 that is movedahead under the associated roller 165, as shown in broken lines in FIG.12, when the bar B is in its passenger-inload position thereby lockingsaid bar in such position. The lower extremity of the cam 171 is linkedwith a wheel frame, generally designated 179, by means of a connectinglink 181 connected on its opposite ends by pivot pins 176 and 177. Theconnecting link 181 includes end portions 180 and 182 telescoped intoopposite ends of a spring housing 183, and biased toward one another bycompression spring S within such housing.

The wheel frame 179 is pivotally connected to the frame of the seat S bymeans of a pivot pin 185 and includes a portion 187 which projectsupwardly beyond such pin and to which the rear end of a latch-actuatinglink, generally designated 189, is connected by a bolt 188. Theconnecting link 189 includes a spring housing 190 into the opposite endsof which is telescoped end portions 191 and 192, the end portion 191being connected to a latch 193 by means of a pivot pin 195 and the endportion 192 being connected to the upper portion of the wheel frame 179by the aforementioned pin 188. The latch 193 is pivotally mounted on theframe 145 by a mounting pin 197 and the forward extremity of such latchforms an arcuate forwardly opening cutout 201 for receiving the roller167. The lower portion of the wheel frame 179 is biased forwardly aroundthe mounting bolt 185 by means of a tension spring 205 to therebymaintain the latch 193 rotated counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 13,and the latching bracket 155 rotated clockwise to urge the bar B to anormally closed position.

Referring to FIGS. 1,3 and 4, the trucks T of the consecutive seats Sare connected together by means of tubularshaped connecting beams 211.The forward ends of the connecting beams 211 are received withinrespective clevises 213 and connecting pins 215 are inserted throughaligned vertical bores. The rear extremity of the connecting beams 211are received in forwardly facing clevices 214 in the front portion ofthe trucks T and vertical pins 216 are inserted through vertical boresin the respective clevises and rear extremities of the connecting beams.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the connecting beams 211 include downwardlyprojecting webs 217 which have resilient platens or skirts 219 fastenedto their lower peripheries. Drive motors 231 are provided below theconveyance system and include drive pulleys 233 on which endless belts235 are received, such belts 235 being threaded around idler pulleys237. A similar pair of pulleys 238 and belt 239 are supported on theopposite side of the skirts 219 and cooperate with the belts 235 tofrictionally sandwich the skirts 219.

A pair of followers in the form of horizontal stabilizing wheels 241 and243 are mounted in spaced-apart relationship to the underside of theseat 8. The wheels 241 and 243 engage the side of the rail 53 and asecond stabilizing track (not shown) while the respective seats S are inthe unloading area to stabilize the seats against tilting and rotatingwhile passengers are unloading and loading.

In operation, the personnel conveyance system of present invention isstarted by actuating the drive motor 231 to feed the skirts 219suspended from the connecting beams 211 by the respective belts 235 and239 thus advancing the trucks T on the support tracks 21 and 23. As aseat S is brought into the loading and unloading area, the wheel 49rides into the rail 53 and pivots the wheel frame 179 rearwardly on itsmounting bolt 185. Such rearward rotation of the wheel frame 179 pullsthe lower extremity of the cam 171 rearwardly to enable the roller 165to clear the cam surface 175 and roll up the front face 301 of the cam171. Since both the links 181 and 189 can be compressed against theircompression springs there is allowance for relative movement between thewheel frame 179 and the cam 171 to enable the cam surface 175 to bemoved clear of the roller 165 before the latch 193 commences rotation.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 13, rearward rotation of the lower portion ofthe frame 179 drives the latch connecting link 189 forwardly thuspivoting the latch 193 clockwise around its mounting pin 197 to raisethe rearward extremity of the latching bracket thus pivoting theconnecting portion 141 of the bar B counterclockwise and moving the barto the locked open position shown in broken lines in FIGS. 9 and 12. Asdescribed above, the cam 171 is initially rotated to move the surface175 clear of the roller and such roller travels up the face 301 of thecam 171 as the bar B is moved to its open position. During the lastportion of its upward movement the roller 165 rotates the cam 171slightly clockwise against the force of the springs in the link 181 tomove the roller above the top of the cam 171. When the roller 165 clearsthe top of the cam 171, such cam will rotate slightly counterclockwiseto move the top surface 176 under the roller 165 to hold the bar B inits locked open position. While the bar B is in such position,passengers may enter the seat S and be seated therein. The stabilizingrails extend throughout the loading area and are engaged by the wheels241 and 243, respectively. to stabilize the seat S during loading. Whenthe seat reaches the end of the loading area, the wheel 49 will drop offthe rail 53 thus enabling the tension spring 205 to pull the lowerportion of the wheel frame 179 forwardly. Such forward movement of thelower portion of the frame 179 will rotate the cam 171 clockwise thusclearing its top surface 176 from the path of the roller 165 thusfreeing the bar B to close. The latch 193 will then be rotatedcounterclockwise thus pushing the rearward extremity of the latchingbracket 155 downwardly and rotating the connecting portion 141 of thebar 8 clockwise thus moving the bar B to the position shown in solidlines in FIG. 9. The tension spring 205 is sufficiently resilient toavoid the bar B striking anyone in its closing path with sufficientforce to cause injury. When the lower portion of the wheel frame 179reaches its forward position, the lower extremity of the cam 171 will bepushed a sufficient distance forward to maintain the cam surfacepartially disposed over the roller 165 thus providing a safety latch toprevent passengers in the seat S from moving the bar B forwardly to exitthe car while it is in motion.

As the seats S are conveyed around the tracks 21 and 23. the contouredorienting rail 41 will guide the wheel assemblies 39 to maintain therespective seats S erect. Referring to FIG. 1, when the seats S areconveyed down the decline 26. the posts 25 are inclined upwardly andforwardly but the track 41 is contoured to tilt the seats backwardly onsuch posts to maintain them level. Such rearwardly tilting of the seats5 is accomplished by having the rail 41 curve away from the adjacentsupport track 21 (FIG. 6) whereby the wheel assembly will be pivoted onits pivot pin 129 pushing the crank arm 123 (FIG. 14) inwardly andlowering the arm 119 to pull the rear end of the lever arm 115downwardly to tilt the associated seat S backwardly. During ascent upthe incline 27 the rail 41 will be curved inwardly away from theadjacent support track 21 thereby causing the crank 121 to be rotated tolift the rear end of the lever arm 115 and tilting the associated seat 5forwardly on the support post to maintain it level.

Referring to FIG. 2, when the individual seats S approach a display Dthe seats S are pivoted sideways and face such display. Pivoting to theright as depicted in FIG. 2, is accomplished by means of the orientingrail 33 (FIG. 6) being curved toward the adjacent support track 23thereby causing the gear portion 97 to be rotated counterclockwiserotating the swivel shaft clockwise and pivoting the associated seat Sto the right. Beyond the display D the seats 5 are pivoted to faceforwardly to orient the passenger to view upcoming displays which may bedisposed on the left side of the tracks 21 and 23.

To pivot the seats S to the left the orienting rail 33 will curve awayfrom the adjacent support track 23 to swivel the seat S accordingly.

From the foregoing it will be clear that the amusement ride system ofpresent invention provides a seat which automatically rotates forconvenient viewing of displays and tilts to maintain a levelorientation. Further, a safety bar is provided which automatically locksinto a passenger retaining position when the seat is not in the loadingarea thus preventing passengers from standing up in the seat or exitingthe seat and endangering their persons.

Various modifications and changes may be made with regard to theforegoing detailed description without departing from the spirit of theinvention or the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. An amusement ride system fongonveying passengers by a display, saidride comprising: i

a support track extending adjacent said scene and including an incliningportion and a declining portion;

first and second orienting rails extending longitudinally of saidsupport track and contoured with respect thereto;

a truck mounted on said support track and including a joint rotatableabout a horizontal axis extending transversely of said support track;

I a seat mounted on said joint, said seat being pivotable relative tosaid truck to orient passengers seated therein for viewing said scene assaid seat is passed thereby;

orienting means including a first follower coupled with said seat forfollowing the contour of said first orienting rail to progressivelypivot seat to face said display as said seat is moved thereby, saidorienting means including a second follower coupled with said joint forfollowing the contour of said second orienting rail and mechanicallymanipulating said joint to position said seat for positively maintainingsaid passengers seated erect while said seat is conveyed over incliningand declining portions of said support track; and

drive means for driving said truck on said support track.

2. An amusement ride system as set forth in claim 1 that includes: ahollow support shaft interposed between said truck and said seat; aswivel shaft projecting upwardly through said hollow support shaft andcoupled with said seat and first follower to pivot said seat on saidsupport shaft.

3. An amusement ride system as set forth in claim'l that includes:

a second support track extending longitudinally of said first mentionedsupport track; wherein said truck includes: a pair of support wheelssupported on top of said respective first and second support tracks; and

g a first pair of horizontally spaced-apart guide wheels for engaging'the sides of said first support track, a second pair of horizontallyspaced-apart guide wheels for engaging said second support track andcooperating with said first pair of guide wheels to guide said supportassembly on said first and second support tracks.

4. An amusement ride system as set forth in claim 1 that includes: astabilizing rail extending longitudinally of said support track; and athird follower mounted on said seat for following along said stabilizingtrack to stabilize said seat.

, 5. An amusement ride system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said drivemeans includes: a skirt mounted on said truck and extendinglongitudinally of said support track; a motor including a drive pulleyfor engaging said skirt to drive said skirt past said motor.

6. An amusement ride for automatically loading passengers from a loadingarea, said ride comprising:

a support track;

a truck mounted on said support track;

a seat supported on said truck;

an actuating rail disposed in said passenger-loading area;

a safety bar including a horizontal retaining portion and a connectingportion, said bar being pivotal from a retaining position with saidretaining portion disposed over the lap of a passenger sitting in saidseat to a release position with said portion pivoted forwardly from saidretaining position to release passengers from said seat;

means for pivotally mounting said connecting portion to said chair;

a latching bracket mounted on said connecting portion and including apivotal element on its projecting end;

a latch pivotally mounted, intermediate its ends, on said seat, one endof said latch forming a second pivotal element for cooperativelyengaging said first pivotal element;

a safety bar actuating mechanism pivotally mounted on said chair,coupled with the extremity of said latch opposite said one end andincluding a follower for engaging said actuating rail to rotate saidlatch thereby pivoting said latching bracket to pivot said bar to itsrelease position; and

drive means for driving said truck along said support track.

7. A personnel conveyance system as set forth in claim 6 that includes:biasing means for biasing said bar to its closed position.

8. An amusement ride system as set forth in claim 6 that includes: alock for locking said safety bar in said retaining position.

9. An amusement ride system as set forth in claim 6 that includes: alock pivotally mounted on one extremity to said seat and including a camsurface normally disposed in the path of said latching bracket to resistmovement of said bar from said release position; a link connecting saidlock with said actuating mechanism for moving said cam surface out ofthe path of said lever when said follower engages said rail.

10. An amusement ride system as set forth in claim 6 that includes: alock for locking said safety bar in said release position and responsiveto engagement of said follower with said rail to lock said bar in saidrelease position and responsive to disengagement of said follower fromsaid rail to unlock said bar from said release position.

11. An amusement ride system as set forth in claim 6 wherein:

said support track includes inclining and declining portions and extendsadjacent a display;

and wherein said system includes;

support means on said truck for mounting said seat for rotation to facesaid display as said seat is passed thereby, said support meansincluding a joint pivotable about a horizontal axis extendingtransversely of said track;

first and second orienting rails extending longitudinally of saidsupport track and contoured relative thereto; orienting means includinga second follower for following said first orienting rail and coupledwith said seat to rotate said seat to face said display as said seat ispassed thereby and a third follower for following said second orientingrail and coupled with said joint to manipulate said joint and orientsaid seat to maintain passengers therein erect while said seat is movedup said inclining portions and down said declining portions.

12. An amusement ride system. as set forth in claim 6 wherein said drivemeans includes: a skirt depending from said trucks and extendinglongitudinally of said support track; a drive motor mounted adjacentsaid support track and including a pulley for frictionally engaging saidskirt to pull said truck past said motor.

1. An amusement ride system for conveying passengers by a display, saidride comprising: a support track extending adjacent said scene andincluding an inclining portion and a declining portion; first and secondorienting rails extending longitudinally of said support track andcontoured with respect thereto; a truck mounted on said support trackand including a joint rotatable about a horizontal axis extendingtransversely of said support track; a seat mounted on said joint, saidseat being pivotablE relative to said truck to orient passengers seatedtherein for viewing said scene as said seat is passed thereby; orientingmeans including a first follower coupled with said seat for followingthe contour of said first orienting rail to progressively pivot seat toface said display as said seat is moved thereby, said orienting meansincluding a second follower coupled with said joint for following thecontour of said second orienting rail and mechanically manipulating saidjoint to position said seat for positively maintaining said passengersseated erect while said seat is conveyed over inclining and decliningportions of said support track; and drive means for driving said truckon said support track.
 2. An amusement ride system as set forth in claim1 that includes: a hollow support shaft interposed between said truckand said seat; a swivel shaft projecting upwardly through said hollowsupport shaft and coupled with said seat and first follower to pivotsaid seat on said support shaft.
 3. An amusement ride system as setforth in claim 1 that includes: a second support track extendinglongitudinally of said first mentioned support track; wherein said truckincludes: a pair of support wheels supported on top of said respectivefirst and second support tracks; and a first pair of horizontallyspaced-apart guide wheels for engaging the sides of said first supporttrack, a second pair of horizontally spaced-apart guide wheels forengaging said second support track and cooperating with said first pairof guide wheels to guide said support assembly on said first and secondsupport tracks.
 4. An amusement ride system as set forth in claim 1 thatincludes: a stabilizing rail extending longitudinally of said supporttrack; and a third follower mounted on said seat for following alongsaid stabilizing track to stabilize said seat.
 5. An amusement ridesystem as set forth in claim 1 wherein said drive means includes: askirt mounted on said truck and extending longitudinally of said supporttrack; a motor including a drive pulley for engaging said skirt to drivesaid skirt past said motor.
 6. An amusement ride for automaticallyloading passengers from a loading area, said ride comprising: a supporttrack; a truck mounted on said support track; a seat supported on saidtruck; an actuating rail disposed in said passenger-loading area; asafety bar including a horizontal retaining portion and a connectingportion, said bar being pivotal from a retaining position with saidretaining portion disposed over the lap of a passenger sitting in saidseat to a release position with said portion pivoted forwardly from saidretaining position to release passengers from said seat; means forpivotally mounting said connecting portion to said chair; a latchingbracket mounted on said connecting portion and including a pivotalelement on its projecting end; a latch pivotally mounted, intermediateits ends, on said seat, one end of said latch forming a second pivotalelement for cooperatively engaging said first pivotal element; a safetybar actuating mechanism pivotally mounted on said chair, coupled withthe extremity of said latch opposite said one end and including afollower for engaging said actuating rail to rotate said latch therebypivoting said latching bracket to pivot said bar to its releaseposition; and drive means for driving said truck along said supporttrack.
 7. A personnel conveyance system as set forth in claim 6 thatincludes: biasing means for biasing said bar to its closed position. 8.An amusement ride system as set forth in claim 6 that includes: a lockfor locking said safety bar in said retaining position.
 9. An amusementride system as set forth in claim 6 that includes: a lock pivotallymounted on one extremity to said seat and including a cam surfacenormally disposed in the path of said latching bracket to resistmovement of said bar from said release positioN; a link connecting saidlock with said actuating mechanism for moving said cam surface out ofthe path of said lever when said follower engages said rail.
 10. Anamusement ride system as set forth in claim 6 that includes: a lock forlocking said safety bar in said release position and responsive toengagement of said follower with said rail to lock said bar in saidrelease position and responsive to disengagement of said follower fromsaid rail to unlock said bar from said release position.
 11. Anamusement ride system as set forth in claim 6 wherein: said supporttrack includes inclining and declining portions and extends adjacent adisplay; and wherein said system includes; support means on said truckfor mounting said seat for rotation to face said display as said seat ispassed thereby, said support means including a joint pivotable about ahorizontal axis extending transversely of said track; first and secondorienting rails extending longitudinally of said support track andcontoured relative thereto; orienting means including a second followerfor following said first orienting rail and coupled with said seat torotate said seat to face said display as said seat is passed thereby anda third follower for following said second orienting rail and coupledwith said joint to manipulate said joint and orient said seat tomaintain passengers therein erect while said seat is moved up saidinclining portions and down said declining portions.
 12. An amusementride system as set forth in claim 6 wherein said drive means includes: askirt depending from said trucks and extending longitudinally of saidsupport track; a drive motor mounted adjacent said support track andincluding a pulley for frictionally engaging said skirt to pull saidtruck past said motor.